VXOC Astra-J/GTC

Hello and welcome to my guide for replacing the rear door cards and modifying door cards from a car with rear electrics windows to one without.

With any how to guide I do not hold any responsibility for damage caused by someone who follows this guide. You need to be sutibable skilled and confident with the work you are carrying out.

First follow this very helpful guide from Rusty2009 for removing the rear door cards:

https://www.vxoc.org.uk/forum/Thread-How...door-cards

Here is the replacement leather door card (from car with electric windows) next to existing cloth door card from my car (without electric windows). The plastic bit of trim for the window winder needs to be installed onto the replacement door card.



You will need to sacrifice your old door cards, unless you can get hold off the plastic trim on the door card where the window winder goes.

From the back of the door card, the plastic trim for the window winder is plastic welded in.



Carefully cut or drill the top of the plastic welds off to remove the trim from the door card.



The position of the plastic trim is critical that it is installed in exactly the same position on the replacement door card. If it is not the window winder handle will not sit back in place correctly and will catch on this plastic trim bit when winding up or down.

I decided to make a cardboard template from the old door cards to place on the replacement ones for drilling the holes. I used a screwdriver to carefully score along the line of the door card plastic and material meets. The bigger the cardboard used for a template, the more accurate it will be.



I tapped the template in position so it can't move and turned the door card over to mark the holes.



Here the template has the holes marked on it. The hole in the middle is 20mm diameter and the other 4 are 6mm diameter.



The template has to be position exactly in the same place on the replacement door card before drilling.



Here the holes have been drilled on the replacement door card. I used a 20mm hole saw for the large hole. When drilling the holes, make sure that the sound proofing material on the back is out of the way.



Now the plastic trim from the old door needs to be modified to be installed on the replacement door card. I carefully drilled and tapped the 3 plastics tabs on the back that were plastic welded. I drilled a 3mm hole and used a 4mm tap. A 3.5mm hole is the correct size for a 4mm tap, but I find in plastic a smaller hole gives a better hold. You have to be very careful when drilling and tapping the plastics tabs as they are delicate. This is the plastic trim with the 3 tabs drilled a tapped.



Using 3 x 5mm long screws with penny washers, attach the plastic trim. Do not over tighten the screws as you might break the plastic tabs. I used screws, as that's what I had in my garage. You could use bolts or cap head screws.



Now you are ready to install back into your car. Re fitting is the reversal of removing, as shown in the guide for removing.



All done re installed back into your car.



Here is a link to a printerable .PDF version of the how-to

Thank-you for the how-to very nice write up and good pic's.

Thank you, hope that it is okay and makes sense. This is my first attempt at writing up a guide. I thought this might be useful as I couldn't find any info out there for doing this. This is how I did it, if anyone had any other ways of doing this, feel free to mention it.

(24:th-May-2020, 08:42:16)Jetcolour Wrote: [ -> ]Thank you, hope that it is okay and makes sense. This is my first attempt at writing up a guide. I thought this might be useful as I couldn't find any info out there for doing this. This is how I did it, if anyone had any other ways of doing this, feel free to mention it.

Makes prefect sense.

Would you mind if I put the images on this server and changed the links so the images display in the post rather than having to click on the links?

Not at all, I was going to ask how it can be done as it would make it easier to read/follow

(24:th-May-2020, 09:24:24)Jetcolour Wrote: [ -> ]Not at all, I was going to ask how it can be done as it would make it easier to read/follow

Thank-you I've Done that also made it into a printable .pdf file with link at bottom.

Normally you add [img]LINK GOES HERE[/img] but the link from you pics wouldn't work even when adding img tags.